Resilient mounting for aircraft nose wheels



Sept. 1950 .1. E. GERRY 2,522,032

RESILIENT MOUNTING FOR AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEELS Filed Aug. '22, 1949 HE/PZ/G 8 CALDWELL,

AT TORNEVS.

HUEBNE/, BEEHL ER, WORREL,

. 1 1 zis zz pszfii Rasmmwr MoUmING FoR AIRCRAFT i I noss wnnnns" v Julian: E; qerrs'nflihrbank, Calif l assignor. to;v

Menasco. ahufaeturing, Company Bi'lrb'ank,v x

v Calif;a;oolfliflifationiof california, v

t pmiuationhugusmaisiaise iamm.11mm t J f t 1 ir n s-Rel. My;invention=relatestoratflexible coupling and '1 tion.r21 andiapoylindrical wall;22:01 lesser dlam-.- 1.531 .particularirefereneei-tosanew-and improved; eter: thanithesectionqzflt, t ,1 mountingffor the nose-.wheelyofi aircraft; ,The-.-spindle.housingl is s bstantiallymx'lim Qneiof the objects-ofimy invention'1s;to prov drieal having aishoulder: 23? near thejloweriendk vide azmountingfior the spindlershaftofiatnose- 5;, thereof. Ar ball-andasocket -j oint .:24- and? 2 5:iss wheelwhich permits freedomof movementiinr securedadjacentatherylowerhendi ofq the spindlee any direction except vertically under a resilient; housing: l4 and. having the socket "pollfim'l-iz iwina restraint. V a abutment.against thewshoulderrfli-anclsseeureml Unless.- landing. conditionsa' are ideal, thattis',;: thereto-1by means of a locksnut-zfit1 The ballr24-- the runway is relatively smoothandlleizeland. IQ; of ltheball-andesecket. jointtis formedpwiithrans of ilight, dynamic, loads-- will: be applied; to i the-:- gagrementthe; cylindriealrsection flit-oil-the-spindle landing-gearzup on landingwhichtendwtoirotatez- I3. the spindle shattof the-.landi-ngawheel in" direee; Itth bfifseen thQINEthBrfibSQIICQ of tions other: than parallelzoi thBE'IIIErHB andawilL-Jfi straint- -0f the llppe dwf hQ pi ei also tend toq-causeo-tiltingi of. the wheel sideways: spindlewillbefree:to,rotateinianyldireetion,.,but.

- One of the objects of my invention .is 1:01pm, mayinot movevertically with. respect to. the video anoseiwheel mounting having suffieientrv housing-J4. i flexibility in any: direction; otheri than-r vertical The upper end: of the. spindle: [3- is resiliently to reduce the .dynamicvdrag loads uponilanding; :.restrainedifromhrotationnor othermovementtby:

"ahdrte eliminate fshimmy byygbreak-ingimp ther means ofa.resilientsecurement 3ll.- Thesresilient.

rhythmicvcyele necessary, tto produce -.shi-mmy;."" seeurement3Q"cflmn se i-a a ularsrings Of-Qlfir It isalso afurther objeottoi. my invention m, silientmat iali h er,i i etann t provide a flexibly" mounted nose-wheeliwhioh aidsl d grooves; 31 and .3 2; i-ntheupperandilowen. sariinsteeringthe airplane-onitheground'bygpowem f thereof.: i t i i i or, differential breaking, due r to the. permissible A. sleeve 33- is seeuredie he innerr urfane ofr torsional-.- deflection andr side defiection of the t resilient gs w h: Said. sleeve Y 33": is nosewt'heel'. v formed. with .key; slots, such as3 4; ,a,dap ted to: Other and. further. objectswandadvantages of receiver a key,3,5. Itwwillbe unclerstoodxthattthe. my inventionfwilL begg ng/apparent, from; the; reduced cylindrical portion 32 of thetspindleelidrawings t-andithe specifications relative thereto. A T 5 i rm edwwith mpl m ntary:k l ts smthat Inthe drawingsz: yfi upon assembly, thereflcanibe.nowrotatlon between Eigfurez-l is asideelevation of arnose-=wheel t QCS On Z a e eeve The sle t/e3 showingthe spindlemounting; and: fragmentary is securely bonded; to the resili n rxr n portioniof the shockiabsorberg. i -5 3i! by, vulcanizingon-anm suitablestandardpro Figure 2 is an enlarged sectionalielevationtaken-. 0655s t on line 22.of Figures-21. Asecondicylindriealsleeve 33 is bondedttoithe.

iEigune34sanseotionaltviewtakerr'onlinee-3-4: 1 outen lieril l y Of'thei l r 30- andis offFignre 2. alse formedtwithi-ak'eyi slot. 3fliadapted to receive Figure 4 is sectionaiview taken .-on line a keys to. thereby prev nhr nibetween the z' of Figure 2. i H w '"resilient ringgiifleancllthesspindle -housing,- 'M-.

Referring to Fi ure 1 ithesstamlardinoseewheel, A. 109k. nu-t "on retainingv can 40 sis. threadedlymounting comprises. awheel' Ill-having a shaft enga ed o enthe upper end-moi" the/spindleto- H and a wheel-suppgrt l2; The wheelsupporta thereby preventdisplaeementof theresilientring, is secured-to En -spindle.HMseeFigure-zymounted Mj pWa my, t e d splaaementqefrt e spindle shaft inrarspindle housing; Mt 'Ilhev'spiridlevhousing issi TildOW W rd andi q ectasnaedust cap tcrpressecured to the lower endrofltheshoohabsorber, v n J' a Lsubstances designated generally l5. v w t I from enteringrjntetherspindles v a: t The details heretoforeadeseribedl are-more orr -T tW H-be-r d ly s ena -L aves-pro.- less standard and constitute no part. of mm .in;-.-- id dxa'noseiwlieel mou-nt aw p mitsnmeve-- vention. 4 Thedetails ofa my invention aretmore ment ot themwheel int anydireetion, other than clearlydllustratedwinFigures 2,,3 and4; ver aI1y-- ynamic loa ds appgl'ieditoathewheel,v

Referring-Jo Figure 2; it will be rnoted thatl thefl eitherlsidewaysror foretand aft;.permiterotation,

spindle I3 iaavertically disposed bearinggmem Q of the gindletimthe ball;anc hsockettjoiisitwithin-l ber;havingi-,a cylindricalwallilll sa tapered sewe5 herefikl fin limi s vQfiz heeresilientgring39h Ibwill I shaft wit within the elastic limits of the securement means, 5

for moving in any direction other tllan vertically While inventionin'wl'iati haveconceit'ed tbbe themost' practical and preferred embodimentflt is recog nized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention; which'is not-tow be limited to the details disclosed herein, butis 1*: to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent' devi'cesj a Having described my invention,'what I aim, new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s.

cylindrical housing co-axial with and nircume.

scribing one end of said. shaft, said cylindrical permit torsional movement of said spindle shaft and lateral movement of one end of said spindle shaft, said means comprising a ball-and-socket joint in frictional engagement with said cylindrical housing and said spindle shaft and a resilient sleeve secured in non-rotational engagement with 5am: il'iqije strait andgsfii'dilfcyindrical housing, said" resilient ""sleve having an annular recess 7 therein at each end thereof. 0 In combination with the nose wheel landing gearscf an airplane, apparatus for resiliently rnounting said nose wheel, said apparatus comprising acylindrical housing having upper and lower edges,aninwarclly turned tip at the lower ng a peripheral shoulder, a

int secured in abutting rela- 1. A flexible coupling comprisinga Shaft a-nda .tion'againstsaid pe pheral shoulder and having a bore poncentric therethrough, a spindle shaft disposed through said bore in frictional engagehousing being providewwith means defining a ment therewith, means s'ecuredto the inner surwith means defining a c mpIeiiientaryQ' fSeg ment of a sphere disposed in said firstfsegmentfforj free Increments-t am, a resilientfsleeye having inner face" of said cylindrical housing "mace-lit the uppered'ge 'threofada'pted' to'resilieiit ly restra n" said spindleshaft ffoinlateral or torsional mov ment, and a d us't'fcap'in threaded engagement arid-outer surfaces and being of substantial thickwith the upper 'end of said spindleshaft adapted nes'sftilfid widtHsecufed' in; non-rotational engage nientwitli' said cyliridric'al housing and said shaft arid fbeihg ormediwithf a reduced section" inter mediate the inner'fand o'utersurfaces, thereby to enclose the "pper' end of said cylindrical housing."

6. In combination with the landing gear'q'f'an airplane havin a wheel adaptedto 'contact'thc p rmitting rptar and 'lateral'movement of Saidtb" e 'o'und'and iippor 's'a df b a von he ground.

W espe'cFto said cylindrical housing withinthe' =to'r'sional 'andelasti'c' limits of sai resilient sleeve. I Y

2;? fi'igible coupling comprising a 'shaft and a cy lindrical' housing co axial'with and circuinscribing" one end of s'aid jshaft', said cylindrical housing being provided with means defining a segment of a sphere, said shaft being'provided with means defining 'a complementar segment of movement therein, resilient sleeve having pines andfoute'r' surfaces and beingof substantial thickg nessan'd width secured'in nong'rcfptational engagementw'ith s'ai'dcyliiidri'cal housing and said H and being formed with annular grooves intermediate the' inr 'ierfand outer surfaces, thereby permitti n ftationendlateral"movement of said shaftfw thj'respect' to aid cy'lindrical housing "what an elastic limits of said Within)" the" tors resili'ehts'le'evelf I for mounting awheelto abody to he q b i d 1' 'i m an-5. bm r siile 1 n'd l l ,h s naa at d, wi hsa d bdy spiridlesha ft associated with said wheel and navy ing 'a' portion thereof -extending in td'sai'd 'cylin drical a e and me ns f r. esilient sear n i' 1 I .1 w i eal iai in o. permit 'torsi a] movementiofsaid spindleshaft v and-nears" shaftfi'said 'means'compris in a ball and-sopket 1 joint n frictional engagement with said cylindri cal 'li oiisir'igaiid sai d spindle shaft and a resilient sleeve :having'i'nner and outer surfaces secured. in ridn rotational' engagement 'with said' spi'ndfi" shaftand "said cylindrical housing, said resilient sleeve having nia'terial'thi ckr'iess' andbeingiformed witl'i'a reduced section substantiallyfmid -way' between the inner and outer surfacesthereofl 4'." Means for mountinga wheel to a-bo' dy "tribe supportedj 'thereby, said means comprisingi'a'jo cylindrical housihgfasso'ciatefd with said bodygfa spindle shaft'associated with said wheel and hair} in'gja'portio'n' thereof extendingiinto said cylin drical housing, and means for resiliently securing said-spindle share to i saidy'imdfiear housing ch 5 apparatus for resiliently fino'u'ntin'g "said fwhe'el, said apparatus co'fr'ngirising a cylindrical housing f having upper and lower edges and an inwardly turned lip at the 'lower'edge thereof defininga' peripheral shoulder, a ballfand-socket joint "secured inabuttin'g relation against saidperipheral shoulder and having a'bore concentric therethrough, a spindle shaft.disposed'throughsaidf bore in frictional engagement"therewith,- means securedto'the inner surface of sa'id'c'ylindric'al housing adjacent the upper edge theiofadaptcd" to resiliently restrain said spindle shaft from lateral urt rsionarmovement; said means comprising" a resili'' nt'sleeve 'of' substantial thickness and width' and having andnner and outer peripheral surface "disposed within said cylindrical housing Q in non-rotational engagement with said cylindri} cal housing and said spindle shaft, said resilient ring beirigformed" with areduj ed section sub- 50 stantially'mid way'betw'eensaid inner and outer surfaces topeirnit radial and/or lateral displace ment of said spindle shaft with respect to said cylindricalhousin'g,- and a'dust cap in threaded engagement with the upper end bfsaid spindle shaft adapted to enclose the upper end of said 1 said spindle shaft fr m lateral or torsionalinove engagement with" said cylindrical housing and *and/br iaterm displacementbfs'aid spindle'siiaft" 1 thickness" secured in non-r ation al' indle share "thereby permitting radial 5 with respect to said cylindrical housing, and a dust cap in threaded engagement with the upper end of said spindle shaft adapted to enclose the upper end of said cylindrical housing. I

, JULIAN E. GERRY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATESY'PATENTS Markey July 15, 1930 Number Number 261,831

Name Date Slack et a1 Sept. 2, 1941 Smith Dec. 23, 1941 vGehmzm -1 Feb. 22, 1944 Bigelow Aug. 30, 1949 Urquhart Dec. 10, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Italy Dec. 19, 1928 

